Restaurant - Pure, Hout Bay

A lovely spot in Hout Bay, PURE is the restaurant at Hout Bay Manor. 

FOOD: The normal menu is really quite pricey, however they currently have a hamburger special, R85 for a hamburger, bubbles or a beer (or juice for those who don't want something alcoholic). 

It was delicious! The patti was big! perfectly cooked (medium / rare), and deliciously spiced. The chips were quite,  spicey, could be a bit hot for some. 

They also have a high tea special from 11:00 to 16:00 daily. For R50 you can select from a range of sweet goodies (lemon meringue, peacan nut pie, macaroons, scones) and tea. It was just a bit too much for dessert, definitely something I would like to try out soon*. 

DRINKS - the bubbly was delicious! 

SERVICE - very friendly and helpful. 

PARKING - parking is outside; the security guards are great and incredibly friendly and welcoming. 

VALUE FOR MONEY - the winter specials definitely are, the main menu is pricey. 

RECOMMENDABLE - definitely 8/10

*This was sadly something that was only running in August for women's month. 

Restaurant - Posticino, Hout Bay

This is (yet another) relatively new restaurant in Hout Bay. The atmosphere is OK, the murals a bit amateurish, but the food and value is really good.

FOOD: Delicious! I opted for the gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce. My sister went for the seafood pasta with a cream base. I tasted it and it was also very tasty. 

DRINKS: The Grapetiser/Appeltisers is very reasonable less than R20 each. 

SERVICE: Very friendly server. 

VALUE FOR MONEY: Food and drinks very reasonably priced. 

RECOMMENDABLE: Yes, not bad at all 7/10

Race - Totalsports Ladies Race, Stellenbosch

09 August 2014 - A beautifully misty start to the morning. It cleared up a bit later and was a gloriously clear warm day. Really like this race. What was personally really cool for me was comparing spots where I walked last year and running them this year.

Last year I ran this race in 01:15, this year I completed it in 01:03:something. Super chuffed! 

No medals, but lovely little bracelets, which I thought was a nice change.

RECOMMENDABLE: YES! 8/10 

Restaurant - Café Paradiso, Gardens, Cape Town

This is one of the hidden gems in Gardens that I really enjoy going to. Lovely garden setting for warm sunny days and a cosy indoor setting for winter and evenings.

FOOD -  Generally a bit pricey, but the food is DELICIOUS. One of my absolute favourite desserts | guilty pleasures in life is lemon meringue and Café Paradiso arguably serves one of the best .

DRINKS - at my last visit I had the Earl Grey which was the 'fancy' type served in a silk packet.

SERVICE - always friendly and efficient.

VALUE FOR MONEY - as mentioned previously a bit pricey, but really worth it. They also have a great mid-week winter special currently that I am keen to try out - buffet for R59 including a glass of wine.

PARKING - Street parking

RECOMMENDABLE - Definitely, make sure that you try their lemon meringue 9/10



There cold meats platter is very tasty for a light afternoon snack. You may need to ask for additional bread.

 

Venue - Regus, Century City

VENUE: The Regus office options are great. We have often used the Regus boardroom at Century City because this is quite easily accessed for most people within Cape Town. At a recent workshop, they seated about 30 of us around tables fairly comfortably.

PARKING - this can be somewhat confusing, they recommend that you park at the MyCiti bus area, but I generally park in the parking area right in front of the building, the only snag is that the parking is quite pricey - about R40 for the day, which I suppose is fair for the whole day.

FOOD - the food has always been good. I think they get the pastries from Woolies, which is a guaranteed winner. At the full day session, we got lasagne, salad and rolls and it was very tasty.

VALUE FOR MONEY - compared to other venues it really is very competitively priced, and the food is good.

RECOMMENDABLE - Yes 8/10

Restaurant | Take-away - Snoekies, Hout Bay, Cape Town

Definitely with out a doubt the best fish & chips in Hout Bay. The view is not as great as Fish on the Rocks, just around the corner, but we generally get takeaways, and for me good food is more important than the view. I do love the old photos that they have in their restaurant area of the original Snoekies caravan where it all started. 

Their crispy chips are really great - you do need to ask for it specifically.

The portions are very healthy, and the value for money incredibly good. At the moment they have a winter special, R54 for two Hake portions and large chips, and they very kindly split it into two equal portions. 

PARKING - Big parking area

RECOMMENDABLE: Definitely 8/10

Venue - Hotel Verde, Cape Town Airport (area)

VENUE: What a wonderful venue! Very conveniently situated at the airport. This is one of the first totally 'green' hotels. We were fortunate enough to go on a site tour after a morning session and see all the green initiatives. 

FOOD: Delicious, baked on site. They also have their own vertical gardens, which not only looks beautiful but also great to have fresh produce on hand. 

PARKING: Seems to be ample underground parking. 

RECOMMENDABLE: Yes! 8/10